skwatra

i have never seen real world before, but i've been watching it randomly this season. i find it interesting on how they portray the city. the drama and stuff is stupid, but they go out to places i frequent, and are doing a documentary on southxsouthwest which is cool. you get an interesting perspective from people that are from all over (though obviously skewed by the fact that its on tv) on a city you know well. imagine if they did it here, and lived midtown. everytime they went out they would walk, or catch the train downtown. and millions of young people would see something that they didn't think was possible in houston. i'm not saying i want them to come here, and they probably never will, but i don't think its a bad thing.

two rows is ok, good food and good prices. decent beer. they have a stout right now that's excellent. but the beer doesn't touch BJs, or most other west coast brewpubs. i frequent Bjs in clear lake often, as mentioned they're doing really well, but probably more so for the restaurant. but we often go there just for the beer. to get my micro fix in TX, i rely on my friends that brew.

9 miles RT normally, 4 miles if i'm on-site. 28 mpg, premium gas: $.8/day parking: free also, don't forget about wear and tear on your car, maintenance, etc. the government rate they reimburse you for using your personal car is $.375/mile currently. this includes gas, insurance, wear and tear, maintenance, etc.

remember Two Pesos? i think they got sued by taco cabana for copying style. gatti's is still in clear lake, i prefer cici's or double daves for the buffet though. little caeser's still around? del taco is going strong in the midwest. ate there once, never again. hardee's is ok, but i don't mind not having it here. and i'm very glad we don't have krystals or white castle. hopefully they'll open more raising cane's here, had it in new orleans and those are some good, fast tenders.

more details on federal funding: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/3297285

we could meet 713 to 214 in centerville. woody's has excellent beef jerky.

i take the bus from the clear lake P&R several days a week in the afternoon. i could drive downtown in 20 minutes, but instead i drive 8 minutes to the park and ride, and take the 40 minute bus ride (during the day its stops at Fuqua and Monroe unfortunately) to eastwood TC, then an 8 minute walk to UH. i wish it ran more often, but its usually me and 5 housekeepers, and maybe another student or two so i don't expect too much for frequency. the only reason i do this is because i head back home between 5:30 and 6. at this time there are busses every 10 minutes that go straight to Bay Area, and take less then 30 minutes (driving would not be fun, plus i save on mileage and don't need a parking permit on campus, gas=bus fare). the bus is usually close to full, i've even stood a few times. and the P&R is overflowing with cars. dbigtex, more amenities at the park and ride would be nice, but with the frequency (10 minutes during rush hour, 1 HOUR during the day), i assume most people time it to get there right when the bus is going to come. there are no transfers, people aren't usually waiting around. as for security, i don't think there's much of a need for it. i often leave my car there on friday, take a bus downtown to catch a greyhound to austin, and get it back sunday (only problem with this is i need a ride from downtown since busses don't run on the weekend). the bus is loud, and something about the Gulf freeway causes a perfect rythym, i usually fall asleep to it even if i don't want to. maybe i'm used to it. so that's my "commute" for work, i live and work in CL, so its 10 minutes, and i have no choice but to drive. i could bike (which many people do, we have showers), but i usually have to go to other buildings or downtown, so i need my car at work. when/if i move downtown/midtown, i'll be a reverse commuter. i've contemplated the idea of leaving my car at the P&R, taking a bus down to clear lake, and not having a car at home on the weekdays. but since its against rush hour the bus would take much longer then driving so i don't think its feasible.

the way i read it: metro gets federal money to match what they already spent on the original line. they're still not gauranteed the full amount they're going for. as for the univ line, its just at the first stages of proposals, they haven't even laid out a route yet. there are many phases to go...

6" in galveston the day before i left the country. it was great, my friends flew up north and missed it, and didn't get any snow! houston actually got a little less. galveston (from the chronicle): my apartment in clear lake:

here are some of mine, all taken from passenger jumbos. got some more somewhere i'll find eventually. san jacinto monument: NASA (enhanced): Galveston:

the point of the post was to spark discussion, which is part of what this forum is about. the question was not if houston is a world city, according to the site it is considered a minor world city. the question is, what is lacking in the criteria as they define it, and what aspects houston meets and doesn't meet. previous discussions on this topic have ended up as dallas vs houston wars etc. hopefully this won't be the case here. quoting 713to214: i believe Red's intent (correct me if i'm wrong), is to do exactly this. What criteria do we lack? What can be done? no matter how great you are, there's always room to question how you can become better. in this case, i think we're right on the edge, so there's definitely plenty of room for discussion regarding this topic.

"The sale of United might be a precursor to a decision on whether the Earthquakes are sold. San Jose media last week reported that AEG would make a decision within 30 days on whether to sell the franchise. The time frame coincides with an Aug. 18 deadline Astrodome Redevelopment Co. has with the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., which manages the Reliant Astrodome, on whether to proceed with plans to turn the stadium's grounds into a site for a hotel and convention center." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3291989

in looking at the 10 major bullets they have emphasized, houston is doing pretty good. we have the name recognition courtesy of NASA, we are the energy capitol, we have several international cultures and communities, museums, a large cultural scene, etc. i think the problem we have is image, many don't realize that we have all these things. for transportation, it says "advanced transportation system that includes several freeways and/or a large mass transit network offering multiple modes of transportation (subway, light rail, regional rail, ferry, or bus). " so we're set here, since it says "and/or" and last i checked we do have several freeways. but i don't think that's enough, and we need to improve on mass transit, which is in-work. tourism is not directly stated, but name recognition, world renowned cultural institutions and lively cultural scene somewhat indirectly relates to tourism (if you have these things, you will have tourism).

i love the wheat deep dish at Star, as do most of my friends. two rows in the village has good brick oven pizza's, and several great micros on tap (brewpub/restaurant).

i've been going to denver off and on for work. i went to a couple rockies games and that was amusing. last time i was there it was st. patrick's day, i went downtown and it wasn't very happening. it was in the 30's but they should be able to handle that. from what i heard, my friends had a blast on main in houston, i think they were out drinking in the street that night. but i do like what they've done with downtown denver, there has been a major improvement over the last few years. i hope the pavilion happens here, that will change the face of downtown.

yes, i think downtown needs to continue and develop. it has a feel that the other areas around it just don't have. i think we have a large enough city to sustain all these areas as good enterntainment/tourists spots.

the hybrid feature they added to google maps is really nice. and there's finally a scale on there. kimberly, all there satellite photos are 18 months to 2 years old, they bought out another company who already had the images, so who knows what direction google will go. they usually only do things right so i'm sure they'll be updates after they have all the other features in place (its still beta). i think its cool to see all the construction and empty lots in the images, makes you realize how far houston has come. but obviously it'll be nice when its up to date. i need to make sure to save some pictures of things that are not going to be there when they do update, like busch stadium. also, check out google moon and make sure you zoom in all the way.

i was at Warrens last night, then we hit up Jones bar (i think). we didn't leave till almost 3am and there were still plenty of people walking the streets, cops, bike rickshaws.

Humble apartments, Magnolia Hotel, Hyatt, and the Hilton Americas (covered but still on the roof with a spectacular view) is what i know of, i'm sure there are others.

the detailed shuttle tile survey was completed this morning. everything checked out, though the official word on whether it is safe for the orbiter to come home will not be announced until sunday. as for future flights, the fleet is grounded right now, but we do not expect large delays at the moment. though i'm sure this will change.

there's still a stop-n-go on NASA 1. the gas is diamond shamrock, but the convenient store is still the same classic stop-n-go green, logo and all.

all signs point to yes

the article in chron said "The one thing that seems least likely is another department store" in reference to the Macy's spot.

pappa's is a bit far on foot, but i've done that a few times. i'll have to check out Van Loc and Ponzo's, never heard of those. thanks

so out of all the places you guys mentioned, what's open evenings/weekends? the only places i've ever eaten are frank's, F2's, flying saucer, homeplate, and formerly at firehouse phillies. i know there are nicer places like mia bella, but there aren't even very many of those...